However, he said that under the letter of undertaking the government had signed to procure the drug, the government’s purchase price will be kept confidential.

He said that despite the country’s high vaccination rate, the drug was still needed due to the presence of “breakthrough cases” – a term used when those vaccinated fall ill.

“That is why we still need this pill along with our national immunisation programme,” he said at a press conference at Hospital Kuala Lumpur today.

Molnupiravir will be made available for those who experience Covid-19 symptoms for over five days, or for patients in the more serious categories of three, four and five.

Doctors will be able to prescribe the drug to both the vaccinated and unvaccinated patients.

Earlier today, it was reported that Malaysia had procured enough “courses of treatment” for 150,000 patients who contract Covid-19.

Molnupiravir is reported to target an enzyme that the virus needs to make copies of itself, by introducing errors into its genetic code.